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Once again, draft is all relative

Once again, MLB draft is all relative

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By Kevin Czerwinski
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MLB.com |

NEW YORK -- One of baseball's most endearing images is that of a father out in the backyard playing catch with his son, sharing a poignant moment that has become as much a part of the fabric of Americana as a Norman Rockwell painting.

Well, that image takes on a particularly special meaning when dad actually plays baseball for a living. Throw in uncles, brothers, cousins -- you name it -- and well, baseball for many is simply relative. At least, it's about relatives, and there were plenty of players drafted on Tuesday and Wednesday who have had family members playing in the Major Leagues, either at present or a generation ago.

There were relatives of some big names chosen -- some kid named Clemens and another named Pujols were tabbed -- while others were just big men, like John Mayberry, following in their dad's big shoes. And then there was Justin Upton, who was hard-pressed to beat out his brother, B.J., drafted second overall by Tampa Bay in 2002.

The younger Upton turned the trick, though, going first overall to Arizona, making himself and his brother the highest-drafted brother combination in history. That honor was previously held by Dmitri and Delmon Young, who went fourth (1991) and first overall (2003) to the Cardinals and Devil Rays, respectively.

Here's our annual rundown of those with Major League bloodlines who were selected in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, listed by the order in which they were selected and with a nugget or two about what those that came before them accomplished.

Justin Upton, SS, Great Bridges High School, Virginia, first round by Arizona.
Brother of B.J., the No. 2 pick in the 2002 draft. Top achievement: Made his Major League debut as a 19-year-old, hitting .258 for the Devil Rays.

Brandon Snyder, C, Westfield High School, Virginia, first round by Baltimore.
Son of Brian, pitcher 1985-89. Top achievement: Started six games and earned his only career victory for the Mariners in 1985.

John Mayberry, OF, Stanford University, first round by Texas.
Son of John, first base/designated hitter 1968-82. Top achievement: Two-time All-Star, led the AL in walks twice and was second in the 1975 AL MVP voting.

Eli Iorg, OF, University of Tennessee, first round supplemental by the Houston.
Son of Garth, infielder 1978-87. Top achievement: Career-best .312 average for 1985 division-winning Toronto.

Ivan DeJesus, SS, American Military Academy (HS), second round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Son of Ivan, infielder 1974-88. Top achievement: Led the NL in runs in 1978 (104) and had a pair of hits for the Phillies in the 1983 World Series.

Bryan Harvey, OF, Clemson University, second round by Florida.
Son of Bryan, pitcher 1987-95. Top achievement: Led the AL in saves (46) in 1991, earning the Rolaids Relief Award.

Jared Lansford, P, St. Francis High School, second round by Oakland.
Son of Carney, infielder 1978-92. Top achievement: Led the AL in batting (.336) in 1991. Hit .305 in 33 postseason games, including hitting .438 in helping Oakland win the 1989 World Series.

Patrick Phillips, SS, Redan High School, second round by the Los Angeles Angels.
Brother of Brandon, second baseman 2002-present. Top achievement: Had 77 hits for Cleveland in 2003.

Andrew Butera, C, The University of Central Florida, fifth round by the New York Mets.
Son of Sal, catcher 1980-88. Top achievement: Was 2-for-3 for Minnesota during the 1987 playoffs and World Series, which the Twins won.

Kyle Reynolds, SS, Baylor University, sixth round by the Chicago Cubs. Son of Craig, infielder 1975-89. Top achievement: Led the NL in triples (12) in 1981. Had a career-high 60 RBIs in 1984 with Houston.

Justin Sellers, SS, Marina High School, California, sixth round by Oakland.
Son of Jeff, pitcher 1985-88. Top achievement: Won a career-high seven games for Boston in 1987.

Yusef Carter, C, El Paso (Texas) Community College, 12th round by the Chicago Cubs.
Nephew of Joe Carter outfielder/designated hitter/first base 1983-1998. Top achievements: Won a pair of World Series crowns with Toronto, hitting the walk-off homer in the '93 Series clincher against the Phillies. Had 396 homers and 1,445 RBIs.

Scott Van Slyke, OF, John Burroughs High School, Missouri, 14th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Son of Andy, outfielder 1983-95. Top achievement: Won five Gold Gloves, led the NL in triples (15) in 1988 and doubles (45) in 1992.

Benjamin Petralli, C, Sacramento Community College, 15th round by Detroit.
Son of Geno, catcher/infielder 1982-93. Top achievement: Had a career high seven homers and 36 RBIs for Texas in 1988.

Michael Brantley, OF, Fort Pierce Central High School, Florida, seventh round Milwaukee.
Son of Mickey, outfielder 1986-89. Top achievement: Had career highs in homers (15) and RBIs (56) for the Mariners in 1988. Is currently the Toronto hitting coach.

Ryan Searage, OF, Eckerd College, Florida, 18th round by Pittsburgh.
Son of Ray, pitcher 1981-90. Top achievement: Won two games and had a career-high six saves and a 0.74 ERA in 21 games for the '84 Brewers.

Brett Bannister, P, University of Southern California, 19th round by Seattle.
Son of Floyd, pitcher 1977-92; brother of Brian, pitcher, currently in the Mets system. Floyd's top achievement: First overall selection in the 1976 draft, won 16 games twice, led the AL in strikeouts (209) in 1982. Brian's top achievement: Chosen seventh by the Mets in 2003, currently pitching at AA Binghamton.

Isaac Davis, 1B, Chaparral High School, Arizona, 19th round by Tampa Bay.
Son of Ron, pitcher 1978-88. Top achievement: Won 14 games for the 1979 Yankees. A 1981 All-Star, he saved 30 games in 1983.

Juan Mesa, OF, No school, 23rd round by Pittsburgh.
Son of Jose, pitcher 1990-present. Top achievement: 1995 AL Rolaids Relief Award winner, led the AL with 46 saves in '95. Is 16th on the all-time saves list with 309.

Matthew Wallach, C, Cypress College, California, 23rd round by the New York Yankees.
Son of Tim, third baseman 1980-96. Top achievement: A five-time All-Star. Led the National League in doubles in 1987 (42) and '89 (42). A three-time Gold Glove winner with 260 career homers.

A.J. Van Slyke, 1B, The University of Kansas, 23rd round by St. Louis.
Son of Andy, outfielder 1983-95; brother of Scott, who was drafted Tuesday in the 14th round by the Dodgers. Andy's top achievement: Won five Gold Gloves, led the NL in triples (15) in 1988 and doubles (45) in 1992.

Kirby Yates, P, Kauai High School, Hawaii by Boston in the 26th round.
Brother of Tyler, pitcher 2004-present. Top achievement: Won two games as a rookie for the Mets in '04, including his first career start.

Kevin Gossage, C, Coronado High School, Colorado by the Rangers in the 33rd round.Nephew of Goose Gossage, pitcher, 1972-94. Top achievements: 1978 AL Rolaids Relief Award winner. Nine-time All-Star. Led the AL in saves 1975 (26), '78 (27) and '80 (33). Is 15th on the all-time save list with 310.

Alexander Avila, 3B, Archbishop McCarthy High School, Florida, by the Tigers in the 34th round.
Godson of Tommy Lasorda, manager of the Dodgers from 1976-96. Top achievement: Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997. Guided the Dodgers to a pair of World Series titles.

Shane Keough, SS, Northwood High School, California, by Oakland in the 36th round.Son of Matt, pitcher 1977-86. Top achievement: Was named to the 1978 All-Star team and won a career-high 16 games in 1980.

Rod Scurry, P, Sierra Junior College, Nevada, by Colorado in the 39th round. Son of Rod, pitcher 1980-88. Top achievement: Was third in the NL in appearances in 1982 with a career-high 76. Had a career-high 14 saves in '82.

Joe Servais, C, Garden City Community College, Nevada, by the Rockies in the 40th round. Nephew of Scott, catcher 1991-2001. Top achievement: Hit a career-high 13 homers in 1995 and had a career-best 63 RBIs in 1996.

Jesse Schoendienst, 2B, Old Dominion University, by St. Louis in the 40th round.Great nephew of Red, infielder 1945-63. Top achievement: Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1989. Led the NL in hits (200) in 1957. A 10-time All-Star. Managed the Cardinals in separate stints for 14 years, leading them to the 1967 World Series crown.

Jeremy Farrell, 3B, St. Ignatius High School, Ohio, by Colorado in the 41st round.Son of John, pitcher 1987-96. Top achievement: Director of player development Cleveland Indians.

Michael De Jesus, 2B, Coastal Carolina University, in the 15th round by Cincinnati.Brother of David, outfielder, 2003-present. Top achievement: Hit .287 for the Royals in 2004.

Toby Gardenhire, SS, University of Illinois, by Minnesota in the 41st round. Son of Ron, infielder 1981-85. Top achievement: Manager Minnesota 2002-present. Led the Twins to three consecutive Central Division titles

Michael Brenley, C, Notre Dame High School, Arizona, by the Cubs in the 43rd round. Son of Bob, catcher/infielder 1981-89. Top achievement: Managed Arizona from 2001-04, leading the Diamondbacks to a 2001 World Series victory.

Luis Alvarez, OF, Pedro Falu Orellano High School, Puerto Rico by Philadelphia in the 44th round. Son of Orlando, outfielder, 1973-76. Top achievement: Hit a pair of homers for the Angels in 1976.

Anthony Manuel, 2B, Biola University, California, by the New York Mets in the 45th round. Son of Jerry, infielder 1975-82. Top achievement: Manager White Sox 1998-2003. Led Chicago to the 2000 Central Division title. Currently first base coach for the Mets.

Jeremy Shelby, OF, Tates Creek High School, California, by San Diego in the 46th round. Son of John, outfielder 1981-91. Top achievement: Had career highs in homers (22) and RBIs (72) in 1987. Currently first base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Andrew Hargrove, 1B, Kent State University, by Seattle in the 47th round. Son of Mike, first baseman 1974-85. Top achievements: Winner 1974 AL Rookie of the Year. Managed the Indians from 1991-99, taking the Tribe to a pair of World Series. Managed the Orioles from 2000-03. Currently the manager of the Mariners.

Brent Weiss, 2B, St. Joseph's Regional High School, New Jersey, by Colorado in the 47th round. Nephew of Walt, infielder 1987-2000. Top achievement: Winner 1988 AL Rookie of the Year. An All-Star in 1998.

John Wolff, 2B, Harvard University, by the Chicago White Sox in the 47th round. Grandson of Bob, Hall of Fame broadcaster.

Steven Squires P, Wayne State University, Michigan, by the Chicago White Sox in the 49th round.Son of Mike, infielder 1975-85. Top achievement: Won an AL Gold Glove at first base in 1981.

Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.